Monday, 28 May 2012

Jules Verne, Robert
Louis Stevenson and Jonathon Swift really did write the truth – according to
the driving force behind this fantasy film. Sean, an inquisitive, aloof teenager intent on
finding the location of this mysterious island where his grandfather has gone
missing for two years, embarks on a quest to get there. He has received a cryptic
code that Hank, his step dad can read. This code and the puzzle map pieced
together from three pages of each of these authors’ books guides them to the
island. Hank really saves the day: thank
goodness he insisted on accompanying his rebellious charge. They meet up with a
rickety helicopter pilot Gabato (Luis Guzman), who adds humorous relief to the
entire adventure. His daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) also joins them. Fire-eating reptiles, giant spiders, cocky
attack birds, and benevolent giant size bees are all part of the adventure.
They do find the grandfather shortly into the movie and the wondrous land of
castle-like buildings. But they are destined to sink into the ocean dragging
down this now-bonded band of explorers with them. The volcano of gold is about
to explode and cause an enormous ‘island-quake’. Of course, they make it off
the island just in time to travel back home via a dowager submarine. Sean gets
the girl; son and step-dad are closer than ever, and we are glad that this
movie has ended. The special effects lacked punch as did the plot. Dwayne
Johnson who played Hank is one handsome hunk, so he was worth all the gold that
volcano was spewing in the movie. Michael Cane was his usual adorable self,
(now looking very much like the grandfather he played), and Josh Hutcherson (Hunger Games fame) did a credible job. Director,
Brad Peyton didn’t surpass the 2008, 3D version of Journey to the Center of the Earth; that one was a hit; this one - a
miss.

In a remote, isolated and unnamed Lebanese village that
despite the strife between Christians and Muslims in the outlying areas, that
here both factions are at peace with each other. The village is surrounded by
minefields and can only be reached by crossing a small bridge.When the mayor convinces the villagers that they should be better
connected to the outside world he sends Roukoz and Nassim to get a television
with a satellite dish and a radio. The mayor proclaims that this is a
‘historical day.’ As the villagers continue to watch the television and listen
to the radio, they become more aware of the religious strife occurring outside
the village. On a Saturday, Roukoz, a Muslim, is trying to repair the
speakers in the Christian church. He falls off the ladder; snapping the Cross
of Christ in two. During mass the next day, the priest says the cause is the
wind and to just repair it and not to blame the Muslims. A short while later,
goats have entered the Mosque. The Imam urges his followers not to blame the
Christians.During a village gathering to discuss recent events, one
Muslim man blames the Christians and the result is a minor scuffle. The
situation reaches a boiling point when Nassim is killed during crossfire
between Christians and Muslims in another town. The women wishing to maintain
the peace go to extreme measures to keep the men from fighting each other. They
hire a troupe of Eastern European dancers, spike baked pastries with hashish,
removing the men’s weapons from the village and even ‘change’ religions.A delightful cultural comedy showing how it is often the women
of a community who will maintain order and prevent chaos.

Thursday, 24 May 2012

Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is Norway’s most successful
‘headhunter’ – he recruits candidates for high-profile corporations. He is
currently recruiting someone to be the new C.E.O. for Pathfinder – they develop
tracker technology. However, he is living above his means, feeling insecure
about his relationship with his beautiful wife Diana (Synnøve Macody Lund).
Being only 1.68m tall, Roger has a Napoleonic complex and feels that he must
lavish her with expensive gifts (including a luxurious house and a prestigious
space for her new art gallery). He feels that being with Diana helps him with
his shortcomings. Diana is desperate to have a child with him but Roger refuses
to even talk about it. To pay for everything and to maintain his status quo he
leads a double life stealing valuable pieces of art, replacing them with
forgeries and selling them on the black
market. Ove (Eivind Sander) who works for an alarm company shuts off the
alarm system. He is in love with a Russian prostitute.At the opening of her new art gallery in Oslo, Diana introduces
him to Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). He has emigrated from Holland,
having just lost his senior management position in a major electronics company.
He is also a former elite soldier. He is a perfect candidate for the position
for Pathfinder. Roger finds out that Clas is in possession of a valuable
painting by Sir Peter Paul Rubens. The
painting is so valuable that selling it on the black market would solve all of
Roger’s financial concerns.

On the day that the
job is to be done, Roger finds Ove dead in his car. He quickly realises that
Clas is playing a game of his own and that Roger is now the hunted.

A well-played
thriller with many twists that could very well be Scandinavia’s answer to
Hitchcock.

Embark upon a voyage of discovery and exploration on this
journey of artistic adventure that takes place from June 4th until the 24th
2012. During this period, the festival will showcase over 500 artists: local,
Canadian and International from the following disciplines -- theatre, dance,
music, visual arts, etc. in three separate programs; 26 venues in and around
the Plateau Mont Royal and Mile-End districts of Montreal. To allow equal
opportunity and artistic freedom, artists are chosen by lottery based on the
following quotas with no artistic direction or censorship -- 35% each for local
French and local English (total 70%) and 15% each for Canadian and
International (total 30%).Over 700 performances and events in 3 different sections:A.Fringe
A-Z – 6th till 24th in 12 main venues + 6 off venues; 109 companies
performing from all artistic disciplines – comedy, theatre, musicals, dance and
others in both French and English. B.Fringe
After Dark – after dark, the wall between audience and stage will come
tumbling down in this nightly series from the 4th till the 24th.

Ticket Info: ‘Accessibility’
is a major ‘key-word’ in the Fringe Festival’s mandate and it applies as well
to you its audience. The price for each individual show in the A-Z programming ranges
from 3$ to 10$. In addition there are 4 types of passes depending on your
‘Fringe Level’: 1.Ménage
à Trois – 3 shows (28$)2.Gold – 6 shows (55$)3.Platinum – 10 shows (85$)4.Carte Blanche – unlimited – fringe to your
heart’s content (250$)A 2$ service charge is added to all sales. Tickets are
available online (as of May 8th), from June 5th till 13th
@ Mainline Theatre (3997 St-Laurent), June 14 – 24 @ Fringe Park.See page 7 of program or links below for more details.

An appetizing rapid-fire foretaste from just over 90 artists
tantalizing (or trying to) our taste buds to get us to come and see their show.
Hosted by Kiki Razzle, Filip Fairbanks and Cat Lemiaow – who also host the
nightly live talk show “the 13th Hour” (1am at Cabaret Mile End).
Will definitely influence my decisions on what to see when the festival gets
into full swing (I usually decide on this basic premise – What is closest to
Now? figuring in the venue, length and time of next show. If there is a choice
I go by word-of-mouth and the synopsis written in program.

Co-creators Luna Allison and Lib Spry present this one-woman
play about a young woman who is trying to come to grips with a dark and
terrible childhood memory that she has tucked away in a hidden corner of her
mind. The only witness was her doll. Coherent portrayal by Luna, who plays the
doll, the girl and George the perpetrator of said memory and appropriately
performed in an ‘intimate’ home setting.

from June
06 till 9 / du 6 au 9 Juin at / au Venue / Salle 3 -- Geordie Space; Théâtre
Aphasique of / de Montreal / Montréal Québec / Quebec; saw / vu le 7.
An eerie adaptation of texts by EugèneIonesco about a city caught in the grips of a mysterious and deadly epidemic.
The soundtrack has an Apocalyptic feel augmented by a ‘barren’ stage setting.
Théâtre Aphasique is a not for profit institution dedicated
to helping individuals with aphasia in their re-adaptation into society by
giving them an opportunity to perform theatre before a live audience and challenging them to develop their ability
to express themselves and to increase the awareness of the difficulties they
face. This piece strongly shows the isolation and social exclusion that not
only aphasia patients go through but anyone who has a handicap.

Local duo TaelStrum invite
us for 60 minutes of storytelling and live music. TaelStrum consists of storyteller
John David Hickey and guitarist Shayne Gryn. The stories were well told and the
music deftly performed giving the audience a sense of mystical magic and
transporting us to faraway places and other times. Fables, folktales and
legends brought to life backed by an acoustic music. Included excellent solos
of Shayne on guitar and vocals (including a wonderful rendition of blues classic
“Stagger Lee.”)

Under the direction of Kirsten Rasmussen and Marc Rowland,
veteran Montreal Fringe performers, the funniest performers, all of whom have
other shows at the Fringe, will be on stage for a total (including last night’s
on-cue and very funny show) of seven performances throughout the festival.
Pacing was excellent as each performer took the story being told, changed direction
as cued by a previous word but still maintaining the story’s thread.

An inconsistent (some parts funny, others not) sketch comedy
written by and starring Rodney Ramsey. Act of Rod is a late night ‘Conan O’Brien’
type show. It is broadcast live from a space station named Eclipse City and is seen
throughout the Galaxy. It is the most popular show on the air. The year 2035: Robots
have just been granted equal rights as humans, the number one hit is “Your Friend
is Hotter than you” by R-Fudge, T-Shaun is a popular barber who cuts hair via
the vacuum of space, Chimwayway is a customer service agent for an ‘overnet’
provider.

Both are from Montreal, Quebec and performed at same venue
until June 24th / Les
deux parvient de Montréal, Québec et joue à la même salle jusqu'au 24 juin.

Miner Inconvenience,
Uncanny Theatre Company

Human drama written and directed by Jonathan Fournier. It is
loosely based on the Chilean mining disaster of 2010. Ten-year veteran miner,
Mario Ticona and rookie Santos Martinez begin another routine day down in the
mines. Mario is very serious about his job but Santos loves to joke around. The
day begins routinely enough but the ground rumbles; there is a cave-in; the two
miners are trapped underground; Santos panics; Mario remains calm and checks
inventory; expresses need for rationing and says they should be out soon. Yet
days become weeks, becoming months. Our miners feel the pressure of being
trapped both in the mine and in their lives as we in audience are like bats,
observing the interaction between the two miners.

Return back to 1939, when the family gathered around the
radio to hear theatrical dramas in this exciting and accurate recreation of the
day when radio was king and television did not exist. Excellently adapted works
by M R James, H H Munro, Miss Agatha Bell and Edith Wharton. Be prepared to experience
bone-chilling sounds and ghoulish figures come pouring over the airwaves into
your living room; all of this brought to you thanks to Wings Cigarettes.

25 minute four-part robotic-electro-acoustic- flamenco suite
composed by Virgil Sharkya; choreographed and performed by Sarah Bronsard;
Dominque Solard on flamenco guitar. A powerful encounter between the traditions
of flamenco and the contemporary sounds of electro-acoustic with rhythmic dance
movements from Sarah that complimented the music. The only distractive segment
was in the fourth part when gypsy vocals were added to the mix. The lighting
during the first half made it difficult to see the dancer.

Solo performance of an autobiographical nature by Shiong-En
Chan and directed by Jeremy Taylor. Based on her own personal diaries,
Shiong-En recounts her last flare-up with lupus in 2009. She had spent 20 days
convalescing in a hospital room accompanied by three elderly men. Combining
authentic storytelling and physical theatre, Shiong-En provides an intimate,
honest portrayal of a disease that can attack any part of the body at any time.
There is currently no cure and it can be fatal. The international symbol is a ‘butterfly.’
A surreal and at times painful yet often hopeful journey that acknowledges the
mortality of life and when to let go.

First creation by this theater company is an exploration of
masculinity concentrating on the right of passage from childhood to adulthood. I
found the performances and script to be no more than a theatrical version of ‘Trailer
Park Boys’ or ‘Jackass’ (give me ‘Big Bang Theory’ instead. This was juvenile,
unintelligent, poorly written and sloppily edited. The flow was incoherent and
the writings being shown on the screen – unreadable and distracting (I could
not see the connection.)

Michael was born with a disability called Multiple
Congenital Musculoskeletal Abnormalities. Rather than giving in to his disability,
he has learned to work around his disability and has defied all expectations. This
show fulfils his intentions not only to show what he has accomplished but to
inspire others to face their ‘mountains’ (which in many cases are just an ant
hill), to get to the other side and move on; done with just the right amount of
humour.

A farce that lives up to the genre with the usual Hitchcockian
plot involving sex, betrayal, money and more sex ... Ella is enraged with her
husband Andy who is having an affair with Sandy who has stolen all of her
boyfriend Rick’s money to give to Andy to finalize a real-estate deal in the
Laurentians.

This powerful play, set during the height of the Vietnam War
and the United States Draft was in force, perfectly captures the spirit of the
day as it recounts the life of Sam Steiner. Sam was born into a prominent Mennonite
family and requested to be excused from the draft as a conscientious objector,
not on the grounds of religion but as a matter of principle. He was refused and
he protested publicly and was forced to escape into Canada.

Tin Can People,
Diana Production and JAC Theatre written by / écrit par Edward Bond and
directed by / mise-en-scène par Joan McBride

An apocalyptic soundscape that included contemporary symphonic
music prior to the start of the performance to set the mood for what was about
to follow. With 13 performers on stage, the students of John Abbott College’s
department of theatre and dance bring Edward Bond’s second play in his ‘War
Trilogy’ written in the 1980s, to life in the hope that the ‘error’ of
Hiroshima will never be repeated. A nuclear war devastates humanity. 17 years
later a rag-tag group of survivors, living on a seemingly unending supply of canned
food, have forged a communal bond with each other. When one of their own dies,
either due to radiation poisoning or other causes, it is taken with great
feelings of loss. When a stranger arrives in their midst just after a recent
death, he is warmly welcomed until another dies suddenly ... the stranger is
blamed and it is decreed that he must be killed. All reason is gone except for
that of the stranger. The best show of the Fringe so far, professionally done,
deftly exploring the darkest corners of humanity yet showing us as well that no
matter how dark the situation may get there is always a glimmer of hope and
strengthens my belief that a ‘remnant’ of humanity will always survive.

(who like an orchestra conductor) will direct the 30
performers on stage to portray the greatest catastrophe that Montreal has ever
experienced. Landmark buildings (Place Ville Marie) have disappeared, so have
certain Metro stations (Sherbrooke) and worst of all, Tim Hortons has no more
coffee. Yet despite it all, people still carry out their normal routines. An
originally conceived spoof of disaster thrillers, well done and a very funny
absurdist humor.

In the ‘Master Builder’, the illusions of a powerful
architect collapse when he meets a pragmatic young woman. In ‘Rosmersholm’, an
idealist is forced to re-evaluate his beliefs and confront a terrible truth
from the past. Well performed with a delicious plate of songs.

A ridiculous yet reverent homage to those artists who thrilled
and entertained us during their heyday but have now passed their prime. After
15 years of retirement from the artistic world and 9 years of in total
isolation, Lucien Face (a performer once of international acclaim) returns to
the stage with a brand new show, that he claims, will be as big or bigger than
the ‘Resurrection of Jesus Christ.’ But as things turn out...

Two urban tales and monologues completely different yet with
surprising similarities. The woman weaves a tale of how she and her boyfriend
smuggled cocaine by hiding it in watermelons that were kept in ‘safe keeping’
in a dumpster at a Tim Hortons while the man spoke of his trip to Arkansas to
connect with his real father. Engaging, funny and deftly put together.

Choreographed by Josiane Fortin to an electro acoustic
soundtrack by various artists, 3 dancers – Myriam Tremblay-Quévillon, Valérie Philibert and
Josiane Fortin – interpret in a
contemporary manner 7 scenes portraying different perspectives of humanity
touching upon its secrets, defects, instincts and need for freedom. Effective
communication using corporeal movements along with percussive electronic rhythms
and original text.

Eidolon is a Greek word referring to an apparition and or a
ghostly or elusive figure. Let Francesca’s cello transport you into another
world where time and space do not exist. The music is haunting with a sense of dark
beauty that along with Tom’s imagery is guaranteed to mesmerise and enchant.

A confrontation between a Bourgeois Madame and her valet; a
tale of youthful sexual encounter and unfulfilled love; a power struggle flirting
with madness and a dangerous game of undressing making the line between master
and servant disappear. Well acted and dialogued with banter that rises and
falls as if in a hot air balloon.

In a distant future, the Earth's oceans have dried up
leaving behind deserts of salt. One man leads a lonely life, donning daily, a
protective suit to harvest the only thing that can sustain him – time.His only hope is encountering another and
this will return humanity to what it used to be. Machines have been developed
that allow time to be extracted from the atmosphere and liquefied. On one of
his harvests, the man discovers that one of the machines has been tampered with
and the substance is 'contaminated'. He believes it was due to the giant
vicious ground rats ravaging the salt deserts but the real culprit will change
the man's outlook on life forever. A frightening vision liberally based on the
song 'Time in a Bottle' by Jim Croce.

Ambience created from the get go through an oceanic score
and two dancers, one on a pedestal located on both ends of the stage. The
dancers mimic the gentle flow of the ocean waves and later in the show a
violent storm. The legendary story of Danny Boodman T.D. Lemons Novecento
(1900), who was abandoned on the Virginian, a posh transatlantic cruise ship,
when he was only 10 days old, found and adopted by the stoker, as told by his
best friend Max a trumpeter from New Orleans. Novecento’s real
parents were immigrants who probably could not afford to feed another mouth. He
went on to become a legendary pianist who never left the ship. Excellent
adaptation of Baricco’s engaging fable.

The ‘silent film’ is alive and well in this hilarious,
well-written and exquisitely performed in this latest work from Keystone
Theatre; inter titles and traditional piano accompaniment included. The Devil,
along with his minion has succeeded in corrupting all of humanity except for
one man, Underdog Gormless Joe. Can his innocence and love prevail against the
cunning and wiles of the Devil who attempts to corrupt Joe through his wife
Penelope?

The Wild West came to Montreal for the
Fringe Festival to delight audiences of all ages. Zany side-splitting humor along
with highly skilled acrobatics and juggling leaving the audience wondering “Where
are the strings or the computer generated images”. The timing is impeccable and
dazzling; fun for all generations.

Beginning from this basic premise, a working
class soccer dad (with no children), Dwayne Tugg from Lethbridge Alberta, who decides
to run for Prime Minister of Canada in 2015. To begin his campaign, along with
his future Minister of Self-Defense Chugger, he puts on a ‘midnight barbecue’ and
has invited many special guests and in true political form, he offers many ‘enticements’
to get the votes; truly Canadian. Judging from the size of the audience on this
Sunday afternoon (we were only 6?) I feel this show probably would have fared
better as a Fringe after Dark. A better promotion would also have helped.

A rare opportunity in an urban setting was to had at this year’s Montreal
Fringe Festival with Group Visigo’s presentation of the renowned virtuoso conductor
Blue Heron together with the bird world’s most exquisite and established
singers: the ‘Goldfinch’ on soprano vocals, the ‘Cardinal’ on tenor vocals and ‘Blue
Jay’ on alto vocals in a wonderfully pleasing concert for the whole family.

Nancy's Books are sold on Kindle or you can email her at hovecreekproductions@gmail.com

Beyond the Dream: Epic Solitude - Nancy's collection of Poetry & short stories. Contact hovecreekproductions@gmail.com or Click on image to read article. Here is the link to Martin Barry's article: http://martincbarry.weebly.com. Book is also available on Amazon Kindle

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Nancy Snipper is also an accomplished singer/songwriter – banjo player and classical pianist. Her three CDs have garnered much media praise along with her performances (Canada, Mexico, Cuba). Her voice is astoundingly beautiful – velvety in her blues numbers, sensual and sizzling in her folk, rock and country compositions. Now you can own one of her CDs. For enquiries about owning her CDs and/or booking performances contact her at this email: hovecreekproductions@gmail.com. Her CDs help raise money for cancer research.

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Collaborators / Collaborateurs:

Sylvain Richard

Nancy Snipper

Note / Nota:

July 10, 2016:The beginning of a new and exciting chapter! Nancy Snipper's (a.k.a S.N.) first posting on her own blog: http://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.ca/**********************************************To see all articles on a specific topic, scroll down to LABELS and click on desired LABEL. Full articles will appear one after the other that pertain to that label.Keep scrolling down to view more articles, and at end of page, click on OLDER POSTS to read more.Enjoy!